SparkFun Electronics Commentsurn:uuid:214d0e4e-f1b1-d287-ce26-ac5b4c9f82492015-03-31T14:56:38-06:00SparkFun Electronicstcabeen on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron Kittcabeenurn:uuid:4b81cb43-7c2f-f068-56b7-70ca11a72fb92014-07-31T16:37:36-06:00<p>God, I love this iron so much. As a TOTAL novice, I&rsquo;ve done well in SparkFun classes, but have had trouble at home. I was using the leaded solder, and it requires flux (which SparkFun can no longer sell). I gave up on that and am using the <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10241" rel="nofollow" >0.032" Special Blend solder</a> now. It&rsquo;s excellent with this iron.</p>
<p>For those asking about torch tips, the tip does still screw off easily and can be used as a torch without it. You can see it disassembled in the current product photo.</p>
<p>I don&rsquo;t find that it lasts longer than half an hour for me, but I may be using it at a much higher temperature than I need to. As I said, I&rsquo;m a total novice. It&rsquo;s still the perfect torch for me as I haven&rsquo;t got a proper station set up and need to store things out of the reach of young hands.</p>CrazySwedishGuy on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitCrazySwedishGuyurn:uuid:d98e7327-f877-b688-d851-b4365c555e8c2014-04-04T15:54:34-06:00<p>Former engineering student picking up electronics (likely focusing on robotics) as a hobby. I need one soldering iron, but don&rsquo;t anticipate needing an iron for &ldquo;in the field.&rdquo; I&rsquo;m mainly attracted to a Butane iron because I don&rsquo;t have to worry about cords and I can use it while sitting on my couch in my living room (far from an outlet). What are the disadvantages (compared to an electric iron)? Will this get too hot and burn my components?</p>Full Metal Ratchet on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitFull Metal Ratcheturn:uuid:80192ae1-9bd1-e699-031a-674ca13bc1992013-12-02T21:56:22-07:00<p>http://www.iso-tip.com/products-page/smart-heat-series/</p>
<p>Scroll down for the tips!</p>R0B0T1CS on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitR0B0T1CSurn:uuid:b7d3ccd6-1595-fac9-190b-c7070466b2072013-02-18T10:53:13-07:00<p>Let&rsquo;s not forget the awesome flip-out stand built in to the iron itself. Such an elegant design!</p>R0B0T1CS on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitR0B0T1CSurn:uuid:90ae2e5d-a828-9181-6d3b-9f03eb8088d62013-02-14T14:01:14-07:00<p>Has anyone had trouble with the tips themselves melting?</p>
<p>The problem i always had with this tool was that a notch would melt out of the tip, requiring replacement every time used&hellip;
Any problems with the newer tips? My experience was a decade ago. I&rsquo;m hoping the issue has been resolved.</p>
<p>Other than that, not so minor, issue I love this tool.
So small, you could solder something being held in the same hand.
With the cap, it can be placed in your pocket when still hot.</p>Jaesin on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitJaesinurn:uuid:d146b3cd-8b00-75e7-9f00-e6cf12c6a92a2013-01-16T16:20:24-07:00<p>I just got mine and I haven&rsquo;t had a chance to try it out yet but it looks like a product from iso-tip: http://www.iso-tip.com/.</p>ddegn on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron Kitddegnurn:uuid:45c3d143-6354-5fdb-7049-7dfc4aa5c6102012-11-21T09:29:16-07:00<p>The torch was really cool. I&rsquo;d but a lot more of these for friends and family if I could get torch tips for them.</p>
<p>I use the torch more than the soldering iron myself. (I have a torch tip from back when SparkFun still sold them.)</p>Gavingineer on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitGavingineerurn:uuid:9d3f93d5-b6b8-533c-2122-f48f4be72d972012-10-03T14:57:44-06:00<p>Sparkfun retired all tips except for hot knife tip. :(</p>Gavingineer on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitGavingineerurn:uuid:b44b4120-5f65-648b-8333-1e7d804bc51b2012-09-23T14:12:40-06:00<p>I just wish that Sparkfun hadn&rsquo;t retired all of the tips but a hot knife tip(which seems kinda useless to me anyways) because you only ever get one conical tip when you get the iron and stuck with a hot knife that costs $11 each and the torch tip sounded kinda cool too!</p>kurt_ek on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron Kitkurt_ekurn:uuid:85130616-dec0-cbea-9238-e18900dff0362012-08-22T10:44:54-06:00<p>hi! :) just a quick question: where can I get the torch tip adapter? Or can I use it without the adapter&hellip;? I&rsquo;m really interested and where I work they&rsquo;re interested in buying more than 1&hellip; Hope to hear from you soon!</p>jago lee on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron Kitjago leeurn:uuid:16df6060-80bc-52be-3e4a-4eedbb65cc6f2012-03-23T02:01:36-06:00<p>actuely diamonds can be set alight!</p>jago lee on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron Kitjago leeurn:uuid:3cfc78eb-0dbd-10c5-bea2-1da8a8e6078a2012-03-22T11:26:38-06:00<p>i agree, maybe you would have more luck with this! http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10707</p>
<p>its great! best iron ive ever used.</p>Thimplum on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitThimplumurn:uuid:885a162d-e709-0321-f736-fe0784d650cd2012-02-21T07:19:03-07:00<p>Good idea! <em>Now where did I leave that stainless steel 3D printer I got for Christmas&hellip;</em></p>MattCF on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitMattCFurn:uuid:00298447-28b6-3091-ae05-a521fe4f3b122011-05-17T18:40:07-06:00<p>Did you quit carrying this?</p>MattCF on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitMattCFurn:uuid:a279d00e-3682-7908-7a76-9a1a707fe0812011-04-23T23:04:14-06:00<p>you just have to push in really hard happend to me at first</p>MattCF on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitMattCFurn:uuid:864f36f0-5724-2ff3-69bb-4581f18cb62a2011-04-23T23:02:16-06:00<p>RE-heat on high and using a metal shield and a small fan let it &ldquo;melt&rdquo; again and put back in to place thats what I did and it still works great.</p>MattCF on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitMattCFurn:uuid:f2106f61-cf5f-d3ae-2f10-cccd5dc3d20d2011-04-23T23:00:23-06:00<p>This soldering iron is truly awesome, I have been using it for a few months now runs for a long time and here beuetain is only bout 4 bucks a can for idk 50 refills so it might actually be cheaper than a firestarter special (okay maby not but still).</p>EvanTeitelman on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitEvanTeitelmanurn:uuid:6496bc27-2e7c-8522-138f-badf97e995f22011-04-15T21:18:05-06:00<p>After I returned the first iron, I received a replacement. The replacement iron melted in the same manner as the one you had and got stuck at an odd angle.<br/>
I am contacting Sparkfun support right now. Hopefully we&rsquo;ll get this problem figured out.</p>IllogicGate on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitIllogicGateurn:uuid:c900eb55-4865-1897-98f3-1db5e3958f5b2011-04-11T08:53:41-06:00<p>Couldn&rsquo;t one make an attachment that allows you to pump air in, heat the air with the burning butane and FWOOSH! have hot air come out?</p>Earlz on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitEarlzurn:uuid:1cafe330-ef1d-d5b6-4c0a-1ca4d2b7cc622011-03-30T18:09:30-06:00<p>I bought a soldering iron that looks exactly like this, but is radio shack branded(I wonder if the tips work between them). If it is the same iron, then Radio Shack was a better deal as it included both torch tip and conical tip.<br/>
Anyway, assuming&hellip; This is a wonderful little iron! I was using the other cheap soldering iron from Sparkfun(30W) and after wrestling with it for a few months, I figured out why I hated soldering so much. The cord always gets in the way! For me, I don&rsquo;t have a dedicated area for soldering, so I use of course my kitchen table. I&rsquo;m right next to a plugin, but the extra thick wire on the other soldering iron made it so that it was almost impossible to get the iron to stay in a stand, and I was constantly fighting the natural twisting of the cable. I tried this butane soldering iron and presto! It works great! Very hot compared to what I&rsquo;m use to (I keep it a tad higher than the lowest possible setting), but I&rsquo;ve never worked with anything variable temperature.<br/>
Anyway, works great. No cord, pocket sized, and butane is cheap. (I went to a smoke shop and got a huge can(Lysol or other air freshener sized) for only $3. So I&rsquo;m probably saving money in electricity even. Also, this thing is quick to heat up. It&rsquo;ll flame for a bit, and then a little grille type exhaust thing will glow red, and it&rsquo;s ready just about. The cool thing about the exhaust thing though is that you can turn it off for 2 or 3 minutes while you prepare something, and then turn it back on and it usually doesn&rsquo;t require relighting.<br/>
Definitely awesome.</p>Dirf on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitDirfurn:uuid:2d21348c-cfec-29bb-01bc-807328f9bbbd2011-03-28T19:31:03-06:00<p>Had some trouble trying to fill it initially. A tip to anyone with the same problem, use a needle or something similar to push in the refill valve to empty it of air, as well as make sure it opens fully. And also make sure your holding the can of butane and the iron perfectly straight or you&rsquo;ll get butane everywhere, not good.</p>Customer #185525 on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitCustomer #185525urn:uuid:484766e3-0b7d-31cf-030b-ceae6bde45a12011-03-23T02:51:24-06:00<p>Nike:<br/>
I just wanted to add that I had the same experience. The same iron but not from Sparkfun, after only 20mins of usage began to flare near the base of the head. It very quickly (a second or so) melted the surrounding plastics and the head became loose.<br/>
I turned it off rather quicky at that point, and left it somewhere safe. When I came back it had resolidified at a bit of a kinky angle. :-)<br/>
That one&rsquo;s gone back to the shop.<br/>
So there does seem to be a common flaw with these. Careful with them folks.<br/>
Andy</p>EvanTeitelman on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitEvanTeitelmanurn:uuid:04d3da81-f238-4bfb-41e4-8ac35a3c25e52011-02-22T21:50:14-07:00<p>You have to wait about 20 seconds for the blue flames to recede. Also note that the fuel needs to be 100% butane. Otherwise, it may flare up.</p>EvanTeitelman on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitEvanTeitelmanurn:uuid:645613ea-017d-4eb3-5141-ec6497a15c942011-02-22T21:48:25-07:00<p>After only about 5 hours of use (About 6-10 tank refills), my tip wouldn&rsquo;t come off. After trying to remove the head with heat and pliers, I gave up. Before I sent it back to sparkfun, I wanted to use up the torch&rsquo;s excess butane by doing one last solder job. When I lit the torch, I saw a little flame coming out near the base of the head. Then the entire head fell off.</p>ITikhonov on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitITikhonovurn:uuid:b167ec70-d42a-dec1-3298-08e5d62eec692011-02-20T13:10:45-07:00<p>I just can&rsquo;t get is this iron a complete crap or my butane?<br/>
Soldering is only possible on &ldquo;very low&rdquo; regulator setting because otherwise it overheat and flames start from the side of it. Also i bought original hot blower head and there is 40mm flame appearing from it and i am pretty sure that&rsquo;s not right. :)<br/>
Anyone with similar experience?</p>EvanTeitelman on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitEvanTeitelmanurn:uuid:e931d724-aa03-961d-34de-af6e09147d672011-02-13T16:37:48-07:00<p>You can set a diamond on fire with this torch.</p>Raishy on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitRaishyurn:uuid:538f3f83-00e2-9f1e-d932-bb0e34abdbe82011-01-24T13:13:42-07:00<p>Just got the one I ordered and other then it being yellow, unlike the pictures, it feels pretty solid.</p>Hily on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitHilyurn:uuid:3bada3be-01dd-4124-d64b-2c13df5435712010-12-10T09:21:17-07:00<p>Yup, I go to Walgreens and get this: http://content.costco.com/Images/Content/Product/2066b.jpg Works perfectly</p>Mister Walter on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitMister Walterurn:uuid:c53a1332-c595-76a3-dfce-1c943a8e32192010-12-09T09:45:50-07:00<p>What kind of connector does this use for refilling? Could you (theoretically) go to a drug store and ask them to refill it with the equipment they use for refilling lighters?</p>CumQuaT on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitCumQuaTurn:uuid:b66c0791-b61b-301a-82c6-9fab97440dbf2010-10-19T22:16:38-06:00<p>This soldering iron is just simply gorgeous&hellip; Though, does anyone else have issues finding butane refill cans that have the appropriate adapter? My old butane iron fitted perfectly with the generic nozzle on most cans, but not even that works on this one. Whenever I&rsquo;m refilling it I get more butane on myself than in the toy!</p>ddegn on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron Kitddegnurn:uuid:1eeff14f-7771-de3a-5ba4-0558f39a8b162010-07-19T15:26:57-06:00<p>This is too cool (I don&rsquo;t mean it doesn&rsquo;t get hot enough). Everyone I show this to, says &ldquo;Where did you get that?&rdquo; I&rsquo;m going to get a bunch of these to use as Christmas presents.<br/>
The torch tip lights birthday candles easily(is anyone surprised?). It was pretty funny when no one had any matches to light the candles on my in-laws' birthday cake so I brought this out with the torch tip to save the day. My nephews think I&rsquo;m one cool uncle.<br/>
Oh yeah, it also works well for soldering.</p>thisupend on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron Kitthisupendurn:uuid:65b9fce5-04f9-5e23-8f27-93889c3ad2a82010-06-06T12:00:11-06:00<p>try taking the tip off when it is still hot (with pliers of course)<br/>
also the flame nozzle tends to clog to clean it use a sewing needle</p>Ninjinx on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitNinjinxurn:uuid:c3b4626d-df1b-9417-abd2-ae5eb11672ce2010-06-05T11:06:46-06:00<p>I&rsquo;ve loved this product until today when the conical tip could no longer be removed. We&rsquo;ve tried everything to screw it off, but it simply won&rsquo;t. The intense heat might be the reason why the tip is now stuck, but seeing as this is a soldering iron it SHOULD be able to handle intense heat. One of the main reasons I bought this was because it was versatile and the tip should be able to be removed easily (and it has been working until today where it decided to get stuck). I have not treated it wrong or anything to cause this. Sparkfun, is it normal that these only last about 3 months or have I just been unfortunate and got one which was faulty?</p>pressurepoint14@gmail.com on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron Kitpressurepoint14@gmail.comurn:uuid:8c0a63da-4267-e485-cc15-6cf8d5197a3d2010-06-05T02:51:38-06:00<p>And it comes in handy when you use your cigarette lighter</p>Ninjinx on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitNinjinxurn:uuid:9fd3e7a6-edc8-47d8-0a86-d69e389ed2de2010-03-28T09:45:32-06:00<p>This is absolutely the best soldering iron I&rsquo;ve ever had.<br/>
It&rsquo;s ready to use within seconds. No annoying wires, you can bring it anywhere you go, it simply rules!<br/>
The blowtorch nozzle is really cool too :)<br/>
Running out of gas is not really a problem. You can solder for a few hours before having to refill, if it does run out then it&rsquo;s just a matter of refilling it with standard cheap lighter fuel so it&rsquo;s no problem.</p>KTownsend on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitKTownsendurn:uuid:3ed769ad-18d5-7a01-4cd1-eb7dff0fd9002010-01-06T07:05:13-07:00<p>I just got mine today and didn&rsquo;t have any problem working with lead free solder. The built in stand is nice as well since the tip gets pretty hot and takes a while to cool down (slower than a traditional solder iron). My first impression is that this is great for quick in-the-field soldering jobs or if you&rsquo;re travelling. Next time I go to China I&rsquo;m definately going to bring one of these so I can&rsquo;t test everything out while I&rsquo;m there &hellip; though I suppose I&rsquo;ll need to bring a new one since it will need to be empty to travel with it.</p>Whiternoise on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitWhiternoiseurn:uuid:9f706b40-17ba-498d-e56e-fd2edde9076a2009-12-22T12:01:15-07:00<p>I was thinking about using this with the hot air attachment as a first step into surface mount soldering. What sort of packages have you soldered with it? I was looking forward to the possibility of doing QFNs<br/>
Is it fairly easy to set up? - don&rsquo;t burn a hole through the board! :P</p>Pearce on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitPearceurn:uuid:11e2b82c-43e4-0651-2b86-950116d7c0d62009-12-16T10:02:58-07:00<p>You can, it&rsquo;s a little harder on the tip so make sure to clean it after every use.</p>problemmaths on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron Kitproblemmathsurn:uuid:3bc28f0d-1f6f-a2b7-f495-79acb42ffb2d2009-12-16T03:38:04-07:00<p>Can I use lead free solder with this?</p>Pete-O on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron KitPete-Ourn:uuid:c541f0de-9056-80fc-983c-4feedb09852d2009-10-27T07:22:08-06:00<p>This thing absolutely rocks! I use it for all of my projects and carry it everywhere I go.</p>torai on TOL-09450 - SolderPro 50 Butane Soldering Iron Kittoraiurn:uuid:36bfe5af-9f02-12ea-9646-2a3b612a8e032009-10-21T14:45:39-06:00<p>I have used these things for years as my main soldering iron. Very light and no cord. After using these an iron with a cord is very annoying. Can do very delicate (SMT touchup) to fairly heavy soldering (16 ga stranded wire).<br/>
Tips are fairly rugged.<br/>
Refils with the butane cans for refilling lighters.</p>